brownie

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a small, rich chocolate cake with a dense or chewy texture, usually baked in a flat pan and cut into squares

   She served a warm brownie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

2. 2
   noun

   in Scottish and northern English folklore, a small household spirit believed to perform chores at night

   The tale says a brownie swept the hearth after the family went to bed.

Formed from brown + the diminutive suffix -ie or -y. The Scots folklore name referred to a small brown-clad household spirit. The cake name appeared later for a small brown confection made with chocolate or molasses; the two senses share the descriptive formation, though a direct link between them is uncertain.

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